Process for producing low oil potato chips

Abstract

Low oil potato chips are produced by washing potato slices with an aqueous solution and applying oil to the washed slices to at least partially coat the slices with oil. The oil-coated slices are blanched at a temperature of about 70°-100° C. (about 160°-212° F.), and then baked at a high temperature of at least about 200° C. (about 390° F.) but below the smoke point of the oil, to partially dry the slices to an aqueous moisture content of about 10-25 weight percent. The partially dried slices are further baked at a low temperature of about 145°-160° C. (about 290°-320° F.) to finish drying the slices to an aqueous moisture content of about 2 weight percent or less.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A process for producing low oil potato chips, comprising: (a) washing potato slices with an aqueous solution;   (b) applying oil to the washed slices to coat said slices;   (c) blanching the oil-coated slices at a temperature of about 70°-100° C. (about 160°-212° F.);   (d) baking the blanched slices at a high temperature of at least about 200° C. (about 390° F.) but below the smoke point of said oil to partially dry the slices to an aqueous moisture content of about 10-25 weight percent; and   (e) further baking the partially dried slices at a low temperature of about 145°-160° C. (about 290°-320° F.) to finish drying the slices to an aqueous moisture content of about 2 weight percent or less.   
     
     
       2. The process of claim 1 wherein the oil-coated slices are steam blanched at a temperature of about 90°-100° C. (about 194°-212° F.). 
     
     
       3. The process of claim 1 wherein the washing step is comprised of spraying said potato slices with said aqueous solution. 
     
     
       4. The process of claim 3 further including the step of blowing excess solution off of the washed slices with a blast of air prior to applying oil to the slices. 
     
     
       5. The process of claim 1 wherein the oil is applied to the washed slices to at least partially coat the slices with oil and achieve an oil content in the finished low oil potato chips of about 10-25 weight percent. 
     
     
       6. The process of claim 5 wherein excess oil is blown off of the oiled slices with a blast of air prior to the high temperature baking of the slices. 
     
     
       7. The process of claim 1 further including the step of spraying oil onto the chips after the low temperature baking to minimize batch-to-batch variance in the oil content of the chips. 
     
     
       8. A process for producing low oil potato chips, comprising : (a) monolayering potato slices on an endless conveyor belt;   (b) washing the monolayered potato slices with an aqueous solution by spraying the slices with the aqueous solution;   (c) applying oil to the washed slices to at least partially coat the slices with oil by spraying the monolayered slices with oil;   (d) blanching the oil-coated, monolayered slices at a temperature of about 70°-100° C. (about 160°-212° F.) for about 1-2 minutes;   (e) baking the blanched slices at a high temperature of at least about 200° C. (about 390° F.) but below the smoke point of said oil, to partially dry the monolayered slices by reducing the aqueous moisture content of the slices to about 10-25 weight percent; and   (f) further baking the partially dried slices at a low temperature of about 145°-160° C. (about 290°-320° F.), while the slices are monolayered, to finish drying the slices to an aqueous moisture content of about 2 weight percent or less.   
     
     
       9. The process of claim 8 further including the step of blowing excess solution off of the washed, monolayered slices with a blast of air prior to applying oil to the slices. 
     
     
       10. The process of claim 8 further including the steps of transferring the baked, monolayered chips to a tumbler, and spraying oil onto the chips after the low temperature baking while tumbling the chips during cooling of the chips, to reduce variance in the oil content of the chips. 
     
     
       11. The process of claim 8 wherein the high temperature baking is at a temperature of about 218° C. (about 425° F.). 
     
     
       12. The process of claim 8 wherein during the high temperature baking, the moisture content of the slices is reduced to about 15% by weight. 
     
     
       13. A process for producing low oil potato chips, comprising: (a) washing potato slices with an aqueous solution;   (b) applying oil to the washed slices to at least partially coat the slices with oil;   (c) blanching the oil-coated slices at a temperature of about 70°-100° C. (about 160°-212° F.);   (d) forming the blanched slices into a multi-layer, fluidized bed of slices;   (e) baking the slices in said multi-layer, fluidized bed of slices at a high temperature of at least about 200° C. (about 390° F.) but below the smoke point of said oil to partially dry the slices by reducing the aqueous moisture content of the slices to about 10-25 weight percent; and   (f) further baking the partially dried slices at a low temperature of about 145°-160° C. (about 290°-320° F.) to finish drying the slices to an aqueous moisture content of about 2 weight percent or less.   
     
     
       14. The process of claim 13 wherein the oil-coated slices are steam blanched at a temperature of about 90°-100° C. (about 194°-212° F.) . 
     
     
       15. The process of claim 13 further including the step of blowing excess solution off of the washed, monolayered slices with a blast of air prior to applying oil to the slices. 
     
     
       16. The process of claim 13 wherein the high temperature baking is at a temperature of about 205° C. (about 400° F.). 
     
     
       17. The process of claim 13 wherein the low temperature baking occurs while the slices are in said multi-layer, fluidized bed of slices. 
     
     
       18. The process of claim 17 wherein the low temperature baking is at a temperature of about 150°-160° C. (about 300°-320° F.). 
     
     
       19. The process of claim 17 wherein the low temperature baking is at a temperature of about 150° C. (about 300° F.). 
     
     
       20. The process of claim 13 further including the step of spraying oil onto the chips after the low temperature baking while tumbling the chips during cooling of the chips, to minimize batch-to-batch variance in the oil content of the chips. 
     
     
       21. A process for producing low oil potato chips, comprising: (a) monolayering potato slices on an endless conveyor belt;   (b) washing the monolayered potato slices with an aqueous solution by spraying the slices with the aqueous solution;   (c) applying oil to the washed slices to at least partially coat the slices with oil by spraying the monolayered slices with oil;   (d) blanching the oil-coated, monolayered slices at a temperature of about 70°-100° C. (about 160°-212° F.) for about 1-2 minutes;   (e) baking the blanched slices at a high temperature of at least about 200° C. (about 390° F.) but below the smoke point of said oil, to partially dry the monolayered slices by reducing the aqueous moisture content of the slices to about 10-25 weight percent;   (f) forming the partially dried slices into a multi-layer, fluidized bed of slices; and   (g) further baking the multi-layer fluidized bed of partially dried slices at a low temperature of about 145°-160° C. (about 290°-320° F.), to finish drying the slices to an aqueous moisture content of about 2 weight percent or less.   
     
     
       22. The process of claim 21 further inclucing the step of blowing excess solution off of the washed, monolayered slices with a blast of air prior to applying oil to the slices. 
     
     
       23. The process of claim 21 wherein the oil-coated slices are steam blanched at a temperature of about 90°-100° C. (about 194°-212° F.). 
     
     
       24. The process of claim 21 wherein the high temperature baking is at a temperature of about 218° C. (about 425° F.). 
     
     
       25. The process of claim 21 wherein during the high temperature baking, the moisture content of the slices is reduced to about 15% by weight. 
     
     
       26. The process of claim 21 wherein the low temperature baking is at a temperature of about 150° C. (about 300° F.). 
     
     
       27. The process of claim 21 further including the step of spraying oil onto the chips after the low temperature baking while tumbling the chips during cooling of the chips, to reduce variance in the oil content of the chips.